Super Sophs: Navy's Alyssa Chung
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© 2025 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
© 2025 USA Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved.
As a redshirt freshman, Chloe Humphrey set college lacrosse on fire — leading North Carolina to a national championship while becoming the first freshman to win the Tewaaraton Award as the nation's top player.
She wasn't the only rookie to make her presence felt last season. USA Lacrosse Magazine caught up with five true freshmen from last season poised to continue their stories in our Super Sophs series.
Attack
Freshman stats: 66G, 15A, 17GB
Postseason honors: USA Lacrosse Magazine All-American (honorable mention), Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Patriot League First Team
Alyssa Chung long dreamt of suiting up for the Mids — but not necessarily as a lacrosse player. Sure, Chung grew up in lacrosse-hungry Severna Park, Md., about a 20-minute drive from the Academy. But she felt called to become a Mid for another reason.
“I read the book American Sniper and a lot about American war veterans,” Chung said. “It really moved me. I knew serving would be a good calling for me. Then, I saw movies like Top Gun and was like, ‘Yeah, I want to fly planes.’”
The Navy is known for its boats, but it also trains aviators. But when Chung arrived on campus, the adjustment caused turbulence on and off the field.
“You’re a Midshipman, and then you’re an athlete,” Chung said. ”Not a lot of people have to balance all that.”
Chung wants to take flight for the U.S. one day, but it took grounding herself to find success. Chung scored 13 of her 66 goals through the first seven games of the year, getting shut out three times.
“I needed to feel comfortable,” Chung said. “It's just getting my feet under me. Once I found confidence, got comfortable with my teammates and got my feet under it, it was like I hit the ground running from there.”
How about a dead sprint? Chung netted a hat trick in 11 of the final 14 games of her rookie campaign, including posting four or more goals nine times. She went on to lead the Mids with 66 goals. It started with a four-goal day in a loss to Florida, a game Chung calls a turning point.
“I think back to the exact moment,” Chung said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, am I getting it now? I'm getting it.’ I wasn’t confused or overthinking in the middle of the game anymore.”
But it was a 20-19 overtime loss to Loyola on March 26 — a game in which Chung scored five goals and added an assist —that served as a turning point for the team.
“After the game, nobody had any words,” Chung said. “Every single person on the field put everything they had into that game, and it just so happened that we weren’t the ones who won that day. That’s OK sometimes. Sometimes, you have to lose to have a good season, a good win.”
That good win came in the Patriot League championship game. Chung again posted five goals, but all she wants to talk about is Mikayla Williams’ overtime winner that pushed Navy past Loyola for its first conference crown since 2018. The confidence Chung had found in herself? It extended to her teammates in spades.
“I knew she was going to score before she did,” Chung said. “I practically celebrated before the shot.”
Navy secured the automatic bid, making the NCAA Tournament one year after missing out — largely considered a snub. But Chung is no longer basking in the shine of the Patriot League trophy.
“It's a thing of the past,” Chung said. “We won last year. This is this year.”
Chung is serious, but she kept summer fun, hitting the wall so she could improve her stick work and coordination. She wants to improve her accuracy, too. While 2025 is in her rearview mirror, it’s served her well ahead of 2026.
“Experience always kills,” Chung said. “That’s why those fifth years [which Navy cannot accept] always crush it, you know? But we have great upperclassmen this year, and our team culture is going to be great ... I hope to be playing a little bit smarter, a little bit faster, a little bit stronger.”
With her feet on the ground, Chung can reach above the clouds.
Beth Ann Mayer is a Long Island-based writer. She joined USA Lacrosse in 2022 after freelancing for Inside Lacrosse for five years. She first began covering the game as a student at Syracuse. When she's not writing, you can find her wrangling her husband, two children and surplus of pets.
